One step at a time
An abundance of storytelling resides on the trails GirlsTrek visits all over our intriguing world. The stories that exist in the ether of land we tread, those shared between women walking and the formation of new stories found as each individual bravely dives into a new experience.
It is the most sustaining element of what we do.
The fusing of all these stories help us learn to truly understand our place in mortal time, as well as our synchronicity with one another no matter our cultural or spiritual belief systems.
In 2024 my own ears have been at their most open since my teenage life, (Let’s face it our Ego is a major blocker between 12 and 20!). What has struck me most is the wealth of perspective gained from the women I have walked with, the men and women who have hosted our Australian and international experiences and the brand-new experiences I have been thrust in to.
The culmination of all these interactions has much improved my understanding of the impermanence of all things.
Heart-ache and emotional pain gives way to love and internal resolve. Distress and sadness to calm and glimmers of joy. Envy and helplessness to gratitude and empowerment. Fear and discomfort to courage and self-pride.
In every story the transition from one place to another, the journey of impermanence, comes one step at a time.
Times of true struggle come to us all. No one is immune. Met someone who seems a little ‘off’ you can bet that they are in their time of struggle. The gift of GirlsTrek has taught me that. With the privilege of meeting literally thousands of new women I have come to understand that our reactions are driven by how we are feeling internally. Now, I work as hard as I can on bringing my beginners mind, a place of no judgement, to every interaction. Shaking the distraction of catergorising and opinionating from my limited life experiences and instead bring curiosity and wonder to how things ‘are’ for the person standing in front of me.
As we step together on the trails in magnificent spaces, overcome with the awe of our natural world I listen to your stories and you listen to mine, one step at a time.
This exchange is truly and deeply, beautiful.
At the beginning of this year I stood in a place of my own deep struggle. Those of you who have shared the trails with me this year have kindly heard my story. In the two long years prior to this time, I waded through the sludge that comes with cataclysmic business failure in a loved one’s life. A time for them that was full of darkness. Dreams shattered, anger high, sorrow weeping from every pore.
Thankfully we have impermanence. What is now is not what will always be. Walking through my own deep valley has installed my absolute belief in this Buddhist concept. Timelines are irrelevant, only the steps matter. Taking a hour, taking a day, taking a week, a month and so it goes. One at a time, moving, changing, adjusting and beginning to see and feel things anew.
As the curtain begins to slide across the railing of 2024 I look back on a year with deep gratitude and pride.
My loved one has found new purpose and a spark of joy. Our rocky ship has hit calmer waters. My family is stronger and more impactful in our relationships than ever before. My own resolve more focused and motivated to strive for a life well lived.
I wish you all a generous and enjoyable holiday season. As 2025 hits the horizon, more steps are out their waiting for us all.